Apple could be planning to release not one, but two new iPhones in early September, according to a report from Citigroup Global Securities, via China Times, writes BGR. This would mean that Apple would launch both the iPhone 5S and the budget iPhone together. Citigroup Global Securities also reported that Apple intends to launch a TD-SCDMA version of both the iPhone 5S and the cheaper phone, specifically for China Mobile. As far as the iPad is concerned, Citigroup says that there will be a new iPad mini and full-sized iPad in either September or October. Apple has long been rumoured to b e releasing a budget iPhone, but a separate report this week from Forbes suggests that it might have waited a little too long to do so. The Forbes story highlights some interesting news from Qualcommâ€™s earnings report last week, specifically the fact that smartphone prices are falling rapidly, so much so that Appleâ€™s new budget phone will simply not be competitive enough by the time it comes out. Forbes says that Nokia, however, is doing particularly well with its budget Asha phone in the sort of emerging markets that Apple is hoping to target with its cheaper phone. [/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]Many thanks to Super Moderator AdmiralAdama for the heads up on this story. [/FONT]

I think they should aim toward making "the" iPhone approaching credit-card size. It may take a few years to reach it (depending on the rate of further miniaturization of ICs), but iPhone 5 is just a little too big for my taste. The beauty of 4(S) is (also) in its compactness, while still keeping all the features.
As for the competitive phablets (tablones?), they can easily issue another iPad mini-mini (iPad Micro?) to cover that niche, in various flavors (wifi, wifi+cellular, 16/32/64/128 GB...).

By the use of media and marketing (a.k.a. propaganda). They will attempt to introduce "flat design" (along the lines of Microsoft "modern UI" and what Android already has -- therefore, following not competing; a practice that has been around lately regretfully in almost any industry) and pundits will start criticizing skeumorphic design all over the place in favor of (rather primitive looking, if you ask me) flat design (wait, that's already happening...). The herd will follow, the analysts will say "market embraced the 'improvements'".
But that's only for the software part; as for the hardware part, the usual will go on: change a bit here and there, minimize this and that, add at least (or exactly) one new feature that previous versions don't have. This isn't necessarily all that bad; the bad part is the gradual addition of features that could be there before or in one package (but, hey, that's business...).
Not this year, but probably soon: screen all over the front surface, no physical buttons (except maybe one power/sleep/standby at the side), wake up by means of touch-and-2-sec-hold on a part of the front surface (adjustable), eventually also incorporating fingerprint reader so that the device can only be woken up by the approved person (owner).

Actually, I didn't. The market didnt even know that it wanted an iPad until Apple created it. See the difference?

It demonstrates the forward thinking of Apple to essentially create a market for a product that didn't even exist.

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The market doesn't determine by itself what companies will produce. That goes without saying. The market decides whether what any company produces succeeds. That's why Apple has had failures as well as successes. Apple can't rest on its past successes and expect future successes. Even Steve Jobs, when alive, realized that. Even visionaries need the market to support them, and there's no guarantee. Timing is one key element to success, and that's not decided only by any company, because there's always competition.

The market doesn't determine by itself what companies will produce. That goes without saying. The market decides whether what any company produces succeeds. That's why Apple has had failures as well as successes. Apple can't rest on its past successes and expect future successes. Even Steve Jobs, when alive, realized that. Even visionaries need the market to support them, and there's no guarantee. Timing is one key element to success, and that's not decided only by any company, because there's always competition.

Click to expand...

Of course Apple has had past failures. That proves my point about them trying to be innovators and creating products that didnt necessarily have a market like the Newton. It was a failure because it was way ahead of its time and the techonolgy didn't yet exist for it to be nearly as useful as the iPad. It's easy to say after the fact, when something is a smash hit like the ipad, "oh there was always a huge market for tablets". I'm sure at some point in the future Apple (or another company) will create a product that is a failure. I think you're failing to fully grasp what motivates Apple, historically. They have always tried to come up with products that are new and innovative as contrasted to MS who tries to cater to the masses with a mediocre product that just performs adequately.

When MS does try to branch out from their comfort zone, they give us failures like W8 and the surface. Lol

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